Game developer playing their game, testing out project

Unity Software, which maintains a game-development platform used by game builders worldwide, plans on laying off 25 percent of its staff. The cuts will reportedly impact all teams.

This isn’t Unity’s first round of layoffs in the past year; back in May, the company announced it would reduce its headcount by roughly eight percent, according to CNBC. The company’s reputation with its core developer audience also took a significant hit near the end of 2023, when its attempt to introduce a new pricing structure (complete with new fees for developers using its products) sparked a massive customer revolt.

Nor is Unity suffering alone on the cutback front: the video game industry endured several rounds of layoffs throughout 2023, as some of the biggest brands—including Electronic Arts, Epic, Bungie, and Amazon Games—significantly reduced their respective headcounts. Just as Unity revealed its most recent layoff plans, video game streaming platform Twitch also announced that it would cut 35 percent of its staff, or around 500 workers. “This has been one of the most volatile periods in the games industry in the last 15 years,” International Game Developers Association executive director Dr. Jakin Vela told Polygon, the popular video-game news site, in late November.

Despite those layoffs, the video game industry remains massive, having generated $188 billion in revenue in 2023 (up 2.6 percent year-over-year). For those tech professionals interested in building video games for a living, note that the following technical skills pop up frequently in gaming-related job postings:

  • Game development (of course)
  • C++
  • Level design
  • Epic Unreal Engine
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Maya
  • Art Direction
  • Microsoft C#
  • Zbrush
  • 3D Modeling/Design
  • Prototyping
  • Python
  • Animation
  • Software Engineering
  • Gaming Industry Knowledge
  • QA
  • Unity

Whether you decide to pursue a formal degree in game development or learn the right skills on your own, practicing your skills is critical. “The only way to master game development, impress a hiring manager and land your first job is by developing a complete, downloadable, playable game,” Susan Shu Chang, founder of Quill Studios, a creator of narrative-driven games, recently told Dice. Familiarize yourself with game development platforms such as Unity and Unreal, and you’ll be well on your way to bringing your gaming vision to life.